Top Ten at Home Activities with Book Pairings
Here are ten activity ideas to help add more adventure and fun to your family’s time spent at home!
We’ve paired each idea with books that you can use to enhance the experience. If you don’t have access to the suggested books, you can always use other applicable ones you do have, or simply enjoy the fun without the paired books.
1. Take a Virtual Museum Visit
Museums worldwide have fantastic online resources on their websites. This Travel and Leisure article provides links to some of the most famous museums in the world: Travel & Leisure
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: Ladybug Girl’s Day Out with Grandpa by Jacky Davis; Fancy Nancy at the Museum by Jane O’Connor
Chapter Books: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konisburg; Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
2. Learn a New Board or Card Game
You can dust off a game your family has rarely or never played, look up rules to a new card game, or order a new game. Here are a few lesser-known family-friendly games you might enjoy: Sleeping Queens, Labyrinth, Pirateer, Ticket to Ride – First Journey . We love these family-owned sites for ordering games: Bordlandia & Sage Explorers. If you have a deck of cards on hand, here are 15 games you can enjoy with kids: We Have Kids Card Games
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg; The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide
Chapter Books: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
3. Tackle a Cleaning Project as a Family
Just like in Mary Poppins, cleaning can be fun when done together. Pick something you’ve been meaning to tackle for a while (a child’s bedroom, a game closet, etc.) and find a way to make the experience fun. Playing music, breaking the chore down into small parts, or making it a friendly competition (such as who can pick up the most in 5 minutes or who can complete their task first) are just a few ways to do this.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan Berenstain; Pigsty by Mark Teague
Chapter Books: Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
4. Enjoy a Virtual Visit with Grandparents
Connecting with grandparents or other relatives via Skype, FaceTime, or other virtual means can both help to pass the time and provide important time of connection. To enhance the experience, choose a shared activity for the kids and relatives to enjoy. Here are a few ideas: eat a meal together, have a tea party (with similar food enjoyed by both parties), play a game (such as charades or Pictionary), enjoy story time (older kids can do the reading too), have shared music time (singing along, hand motions, and dancing all encouraged), or have kids present at-home school projects or share about their schoolwork (maybe even get tutoring help).
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: Tea with Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg; Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother’s Words to a Faraway Child by Patricia MacLachlan
Chapter Books: Coming on Home Son by Jacqueline Woodson; The Land of Stories by Christopher Colfer
5. Savor a Leisurely Bubble Bath
Even big kids can enjoy bath time fun when you add bubbles! Who doesn’t enjoy getting to spend 20-30 minutes in the tub? If you don’t have bath toys, many kitchen items can be used to enhance the fun. And kids can even enjoy the bathtub after it’s been emptied, using is as a makeshift slip-and-slide. For more ideas for having different bath time adventures, check out Realistic Mamma. For ways to incorporate learning activity for younger kids, try Learning 4 Kids.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems; Bath Time! by Sandra Boynton
Chapter Books: Swimming with Dolphins by Jessie Paddock
6. Build an Epic Fort
Grab your boxes and blankets and build an amazing fort! You can find some wonderful fort inspiration online. Add a fun spin by changing the type of fort you build. Make a castle, submarine, or rocket ship!
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: This is Not A Box! by Antoinette Portis; Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Chapter Book: Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright? by Ellen Labrecque
7. Host a Magic Show
Presto, Changeo! Magic shows are a blast for kids of all ages. Melissa and Doug’s “Deluxe Magic Set” is recommended for 8-10 year olds, but younger kids can perform most of the tricks with a little adult support. Older kids might enjoy practicing card tricks. Mastering tricks and perfecting show banter require practice, so your little magicians will need to spend some serious time on this project.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: This Book is Magic by Ashley Evanson
Chapter Books: Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look; Hurry Up, Houdini! (Magic Treehouse Series 22) by Mary Pope Osborne; Who Was Harry Houdini? by Tui Sutherland
Instructional: Big Magic for Little Hands by Joshua Jay
8. Host an Art Show
Spend a day or few creating art, then host an art show! Transform a room into an art gallery. Hang the art all around the room and provide drinks and treats to your guests.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: An Alphabet in Art by Lucy Micklethwait; Never Let a Princess Paint with Her Unicorn by Diane Alber; The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
Chapter Books: Silver Meadows Summer by Emma Otheguy, Who Was Frida Khalo? by Sarah Fabiny; Who Was Leonardo Davinci? by Roberta Edwards
9. Build an Escape Room
Set up an Escape Room to challenge your kids at home, or, even better, have them build one for you! The Activity Mom and The Game Gal have some fantastic ideas and tips at The Activity Mom & The Game Gal.
Too much work? You can also order an escape room game or search for escape room downloads for purchase. Try Think Fun Escape Room or Escape Room Downloads.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: What Do You Do With a Problem? By Kobi Yamada; Pierre the Maze Detective (series) by Hiro Kamigaki
Chapter Books: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey; Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
10. Host an Awesome Dance Party or Performance
There are a number of ways you can bring your dance party to the next level. Consider sticking to a musical theme based on a favorite musician, show, or era. You can also amp up the fun by adding costumes into the mix. Have your little ballerina make a no sew tutu by tying strands of tulle around a string of elastic. Add ribbons and beads for more flair. Search “No Sew Tutu” for ordering specifics. Get little rockers dressed in their rock star gear and fancy hair.
Family Lip Syncing Contests are tons of fun, too! Split family members into groups to plan and practice different performances. Or, plan a whole family online performance or competition with extended family members.
Book suggestions:
Picture Books: Tallulah’s Tutu by Marilyn Singer; I’m a Ballerina! by Sue Fleiss; Miss Lina’s Ballerinas by Grace Maccarone, Dinosaur Dance! by Sandra Boynton; Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems; Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Chapter Books: Life in Motion (Young Reader’s Edition) by Misty Copeland; Who Was Maria Tallchief? by Catherine Gourley
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